Pouch system for hospital patients

ABSTRACT

Heat-controlled exchange pouches for strapping to strategic areas of a patient&#39;&#39;s body where the main blood arteries are close to the skin surface. Each pouch is a flat, flexible tubing array within a removable bag, conformable to the body area which the pouch contacts. Separate fluid supply and return tubes for the pouches at each side of the body provide independent temperature control.

United States Patent 1151 3,674,034 Hardy 1 July 4, 1972 s41 POUCH SYSTEM FOR HOSPITAL 3,507,321 4/1970 Palma....................................128/400 PATIENTS 3,570,264 3/1971 Curtis ..123/379 [72] Inventor: John C. Hardy, Weatogue, Conn.

[73] Assignee: Angelica Corporation, St. Louis, Mo.

[22] Filed: Feb. 8, I971 [21] Appl.No.: 113,132

152] US. Cl ..128/379, 128/400 [51] Int. Cl. ..A6If7/00 158| Field of Search "128/400. 258, 384, 385, 402, 128/379 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,000,616 9/1961 Spangler ..128/400 X 3,079,765 3/1963 Le Vantine ..128/402 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 295,741 l0/l965 Australia ..128/400 Primary Examiner-4.. W. Trapp Attorney-Rogers, Ezcll, Eilers & Robbins l 5 7 1 ABSTRACT Heat-controlled exchange pouches for strapping to strategic areas of a patients body where the main blood arteries are close to the skin surface Each pouch is a flat, flexible tubing array within a removable bag, conformable to the body area which the pouch contacts. Separate fluid supply and return tubes for the pouches at each side of the body provide independent temperature control.

I0 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENIEQJUL H972 3,574,034

SHEET 10F 2 4 JOHN c. HAROK ATTQQNEY PATENTEDJUL 4 m2 SHEET 2 OF 2 POUCH SYSTEM FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention is a system for maintaining controlled deep body temperature by providing heat transfer at efficient areas of a persons body. The system may be used for any occasion under which such temperature control is necessary or desirable, a major example being for hospital patients. The invention incorporates a pouch system that comprises individual pouches with straps for mounting the pouches to a hospital patient in contact with the neck, each arm pit, and each upper thigh at the groin area. Each pouch consists of a cloth covered tubing array, and there are supply and return tubes leading to the tubing arrays and connected to a conventional hyperthermia machine. When the hyperthermia machine operates, temperature-controlled water is circulated serially through the tubing arrays of the pouches. The straps hold the pouches in direct contact with those strategic areas of the body where the blood arteries are close to the skin surface to provide maximum heat transfer and thereby provide body temperature control while leaving other areas of the body accesible or unencumbered, such as for operating procedures.

Each pouch tubing array comprises multiple passes of tubes joined at their ends to inlet and outlet manifolds with a single larger tube supplying water to the inlet manifold and a single larger tube connected to receive from the ouflet manifold. The multiple tubing passes increase the flow capacity and reduce the temperature gradient between the water within the tubing arrays and the skin as heat is transferred between the water and the skin. The pouch system provides heat transfer to those localized areas of the body where the rate of blood flow is high and where the arteries are near to the skin surface. The configuration of the tubing arrays provides high thermal conductivity for maximum heat transfer.

The temperature-controlled liquid flows serially through the pouch tubing arrays. The direction of flow can be reversed depending upon the area of the body that requires the greatest thermal control. Connecting supply and return tubing between pouches and the hyperthermia machine is routed alongside rather than on or under the patients body to eliminate thermal and physical discomfort that would exist if the connecting tubes were beneath the patients body.

Since each pouch includes a thin, low-porosity and highly thermal-conductive fabric covering the tubing array, efficient heat transfer is produced without burning of the patient. Each cover is removable for laundering and sterilization.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a schematic elevation view showing the pouch system secured to a patients body and showing the general distribution of the liquid supply tubing;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the individual tubing arrays and the interconnecting supply and return tubing with modified connections;

FIG. 2a is a schematic diagram of a modification of tubing array for a neck pouch;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation view of the neck pouch;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged front elevation view of the neck pouch;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of the neck pouch with the fabric casing broken away to illustrate the interior tubing array;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary front elevation view of a typical arm or groin pouch with the fabric broken away to illustrate the tubing array.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This pouch system 10 includes a neck pouch 11, upper arm pouches 12 and 13, and upper thigh pouches I4 and I5. Temperature controlled water is circulated through the pouches from a conventional hyperthermia machine 16. As will be described hereinafter, each pouch has water carrying tubes within a cover that can be strapped to a person's body.

A system for circulating temperature-controlled fluid, usually water, to, through, and from the pouches includes an inlet tube 17 leading from the hyperthermia machine I6 to a Tee [8. From one side of the Tee 18, a tube 19 leash to the neck pouch 1 I. A tube 20 leads from the neck pouch I 1 to the right upper arm pouch I2. A tube 21 leads from the right upper arm pouch 12 to the right upper thigh pouch I4. A tube 22 leads from the right upper thigh pouch 14 to another Tee 23. A tube 24 leads from the Tee 23 back to the hyperthermia machine 16.

From the other side of the Tee 18, a tube 25 leads to the neck pouch I1. Another tube 26 leads from the neck pouch II to the left upper arm pouch 13. A tube 27 leads from the left upper arm pouch 13 to the left upper thigh pouch 15. A tube 28 leads from the left upper thigh pouch I5 to the Tee 23. In the pouch system II] of FIG. I, therefore, water from a single hyperthermia machine 16 circulates to the pouches on both sides of the body. Thus the water flows from the tube 17 and branches to both the tubes 19 and 25 to flow serially through both sides of the neck pouch II, the two upper arm pouches 12 and 13 and the two upper thigh pouches 14 and 15, returning via the tubes 22 and 28 to the single return tube 24 FIG. 2 illustrates schematically the pouch system of FIG. 1 with a modification of the supply tube arrangement that will be described hereinafter. As shown in FIG. 2, the neck pouch 11 has two U configurations of tubes including three parallel tubes 32, 33, and 34 between two manifolds 35 and 36, a single tube 37 between the manifold 36 and another manifold 38, and three parallel tubes 39, 40, and 41 between the manifold 38 and a manifold 42. The other U configuration of tubes includes three parallel tubes 45, 46, and 47 between two manifolds 48 and 49, a single tube 50 between the manifold 49 and a manifold SI, and three parallel tubes 52, 53, and 54 between the manifold 51 and the manifold 55. The supply tube I9 leads to the manifold 35 and the tube 20 leads from the manifold 42. The supply tube 25 leads to the manifold 48 and the tube 26 leads from the manifold 55. A bag 56 having attaching straps 57 and 58 (shown in dotted lines) surrounds the two arrays of tubes. Two loops 59 are stitched to the front of the bag 56 adjacent the ends, as shown in FIG. 4. The straps 5'7 and 5B are passed through the respective loops 59 before the pouch system is attached pursuant to FIG. I.

The upper right arm pouch I2, upper left arm pouch I3, upper right thigh pouch I4, and upper lefi thigh pouch 15 may be substantially identical except mirror images left and right. Each comprises four tubes 60, 61, 62, and 63 connected between two manifolds 64 and 65. A larger single tube 66 is connected between the manifold 65 and another manifold 67. Four additional tubes 68, 69, 70, and 71 are connected between the manifold 67 and an outlet manifold 72. Each of the foregoing tubing arrays for the pouches 12, 13, I4, and I5 is covered with a bag 73 having attaching straps 74 and 75 (shown in dotted lines).

The system of FIG. 2 differs from the system of FIG. I in that the tubes 19 and 22 have individual connectors 77 and 78 (of conventional design) for connection to one hyperthermia machine and the tubes 25 and 28 also have individual connectors 79 and 80 for connection to another hyperthermia machine. In this system of FIG. 2, therefore, an independent source of temperature controlled fluid is provided for the right side of the body including the right side tubes 32, 33, 34, 39, 40, and 41 of the neck pouch 11, the upper right arm pouch l2, and the upper right thigh pouch 14. Another independent source of temperature controlled fluid is circulated through the left tubes 45, 46, 47, 52, 53, and 54 of the neck pouch 11, the upper left arm pouch I3, and the upper left thigh pouch 15. In the pouch system 10 of FIG. I, a single hyperthermia machine 16 supplies the temperature controlled fluid for all the pouches, branching to the left and right sides of the patient from the two Tees I8 and 23.

FIGS. 3, 4, and 5 show the detailed construction of the neck pouch 11 for either the pouch system of FIG. I or the pouch system of FIG. 2. There, the two tubing arrays, one including the tubes 32, 33, 34, 39, 40 and 41 and the other including the tubes 45, 46, 47, 52, 53, and 54 are shown with their as sociated manifolds within the bag 56. The bag 56 is of lowporosity thin cloth material with stitching 82 around three sides and with one of the long sides releasably closed by two hook and pile closers, such as known under the trademark Velcro, having hook pads 83 and pile pads 84 that hold when pressed together and release when separated. There is also a central vertical hook and pile closer 85 and hook and pile pads 86 and 87 respectively, on the straps 57 and 58 which are sewed to the front of the bag 56 as shown in FIG. 4. An elastic strap 88 is stitched to the centerline of the pouch 56 by a single row of stitches 89 between the straps 57 and 58 to produce circumferential tension and maintain the pouch in constant compression with the skin. Loops 107 are sewn to the front of the pouch 56; and the free ends of the straps $7 and 58 will pass through those loops before the pouch 56 is fitted to the neck of the user. When the hook pad 86 on the strap 57 is assembled with the pile pad 87 on the strap 58, those straps will coact with the loops 107 to hold the ends of the pouch 56 immediately adjacent the users neck. A plastic loop 90 is wrapped around the supply and return tubes 19 and to hold them together. A similar loop 9] is wrapped about the tubes and 26. (Similar plastic loops are wrapped about the supply and return tubes adjacent each tubing array of each pouch.)

F K]. 6 illustrates details of one of the pouches l2, l3, 14, or I5, all of which may be identical. Here, the tubes 60, 61, 62, 63, 68, 69, 70, and 71 are shown with their connecting manifolds 64, 65, 67, and 72 within a low-porosity, thin cloth bag 73 that has stitching 92 on three sides and one of the long sides held releasably closed by a hook and pile closer 93.

A modified neck pouch 94 is shown schematically in FIG. 2A. This neck pouch has two tubing arrays alongside one another. One tubing array has three tubes 95, 96, and 97 between two manifolds 98 and 99. The other tubing array has three tubes 100, I01, and 102 between two manifolds I03 and I04. Thus, if the neck pouch 94 were used instead of the neck pouch ll, fluid circulation on the right side of the body would be from the tube 19 to the manifold 98 through the tubes 95, 96 and 97 to the manifold 99 and thence through the tube 20 to the upper right arm pouch 12, through the tube 2] to the upper right thigh pouch l4, and to the return tube 22. Likewise, fluid circulation on the left side of the body begins with the supply tube 25 leading to the manifold [03, then through the tubes 100, I01, and 102 to the manifold 104 and to the tube 26. From the tube 26, the fluid flows through the upper left arm pouch 13, the tube 27, and the upper right thigh pouch 15 to the return tube 28. It will be understood that the neck pouch 94 would also include a low-porosity highheat-conductive cloth bag with appropriate connecting straps for attachment to the neck of the patient.

FIG. 1 shows the pouch system attached to a patient. It will be observed that the individual pouches l1, l2, l3, l4, and 15 are held in place by the connecting straps 57, 58, 74 and 75, utilizing the hook and pile fasteners. The locations of these pouches are at areas of the body where the blood arteries are close to the skin surface so that maximum body temperature control is maintained even though the major areas of the body are not encumbered by the pouches.

It will also be noted that the hook and pile fasteners on the different bags 56 and 73 pennit ready removal of all the bags for laundering and sterilization. Also the removability of the bags permits access for repair of any tubing area.

The direction of fluid circulation in the system illustrated in FIG. 2 can be reversed by simply reversing the connections of the connectols 77 and 78 to one hyperthermia machine and reversing the connectors 79 and to the other hyperthermia machine. This reverses the flow to begin with the upper thigh pouches l4 and 15 followed by flow to the upper arm pouches l2 and 13 and finally to the neck pouch 11 before returning to the hygerthermia machine.

Wt either connection arrangement, and also with the pouch system of FIG. 1, the parallel flow to the two sides of the body increases the thermal capacity of the system permitting the temperature to be maintained closer to normal body temperature.

Various changes and modifications may be made within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A pouch system for temperature control of a person's body comprising a plurality of individual pouches, each pouch comprising a plurality of flexible tubes, a removable bag covering the plurality of tubes, the tubes having inlet ends adjacent one another and outlet ends adjacent one another, an inlet manifold connected to the inlet ends, an outlet manifold connected to the outlet ends, and supply tubes for conveying temperature-controlled fluids through the plurality of tubes of all the pouches.

2. The pouch system of claim 1 including elastic strap means connected to the bags for attaching the pouches to the person's body and maintaining them in constant compression against the skin.

3. The pouch system of claim I wherein the supply tubes comprise single tubes interconnecting the manifolds of the pouches for serial distribution of the temperature-controlled fluids through the pouches, the supply tubes being of larger diameter than individual ones of the plurality of tubes.

4. The pouch system of claim 3 wherein the pouches are adapted for attachment to the neck, the upper right arm, the upper right thigh, the upper left arm, and the upper left thigh of the person's body, the neck pouch comprising two independent pluralities of tubes each having inlet and outlet manifolds.

5. The pouch system of claim 4 including separate supply tubes for independent serial circulation of temperature-con trolled fluid through the neck, upper right arm, and upper right thigh pouches, and separate supply tubes for circulation of temperature-controlled fluid through the neck, upper left arm, and upper left thigh pouches.

6. The pouch system of claim 5 wherein the supply tubes for the right side pouches are independent of the supply tube for the left side pouches, the right side and left side supply tubes being connectible to independent temperature-controlled fluid circulatory machines.

7. The pouch system of claim 4 wherein the independent pluralities of tubes in the neck pouch are of U-shape configurations with the base of the U of one tube plurality adjacent the base of the U of the other tube plurality.

8. The pouch system of claim 4 wherein the independent pluralities of tubes in the neck pouch are straight and the two pluralities of tubes are positioned laterally adjacent one another.

9. The pouch system of claim 1 wherein at least one side of each bag is closeable with a hook and pile fastener.

10. The pouch system of claim 3 wherein the supply tubes are adapted for reversible connection to a temperature-controlled fluid circulation machine for reversing the direction of serial flow of fluid through the pouches. 

1. A pouch system for temperature control of a person''s body comprising a plurality of individual pouches, each pouch comprising a plurality of flexible tubes, a removable bag covering the plurality of tubes, the tubes having inlet ends adjacent one another and outlet ends adjacent one another, an inlet manifold connected to the inlet ends, an outlet manifold connected to the outlet ends, and supply tubes for conveying temperature-controlled fluids through the plurality of tubes of all the pouches.
 2. The pouch system of claim 1 including elastic strap means connected to the bags for attaching the pouches to the person''s body and maintaining them in constant compression against the skin.
 3. The pouch system of claim 1 wherein the supply tubes comprise single tubes interconnecting the manifolds of the pouches for serial distribution of the temperature-controlled fluids through the pouches, the supply tubes being of larger diameter than individual ones of the plurality of tubes.
 4. The pouch system of claim 3 wherein the pouches are adapted for attachment to the neck, the upper right arm, the upper right thigh, the upper left arm, and the upper left thigh of the person''s body, the neck pouch comprising two independent pluralities of tubes each having inlet and outlet manifolds.
 5. The pouch system of claim 4 including separate supply tubes for independent serial circulation of temperature-controlled fluid through the neck, upper right arm, and upper right thigh pouches, and separate supply tubes for circulation of temperature-controlled fluid through the neck, upper left arm, and upper left thigh pouches.
 6. The pouch system of claim 5 wherein the supply tubes for the right side pouches are independent of the supply tube for the left side pouches, the right side and left side supply tubes being connectible to independent temperature-controlled fluid circulatory machines.
 7. The pouch system of claim 4 wherein the independent pluralities of tubes in the neck pouch are of U-shape configurations with the base of the U of one tube plurality adjacent the base of the U of the other tube pluraLity.
 8. The pouch system of claim 4 wherein the independent pluralities of tubes in the neck pouch are straight and the two pluralities of tubes are positioned laterally adjacent one another.
 9. The pouch system of claim 1 wherein at least one side of each bag is closeable with a hook and pile fastener.
 10. The pouch system of claim 3 wherein the supply tubes are adapted for reversible connection to a temperature-controlled fluid circulation machine for reversing the direction of serial flow of fluid through the pouches. 